When it comes to the most prestigious events in greyhound racing, there are none bigger than the English Greyhound Derby. Each year, dozens of dogs battle it out to be crowned champion, in what is one of hardest competitions to predict for those who bet on greyhounds.
Every trainer and owner dreams of landing a win in the English Greyhound Derby, and every dog that earns top spot goes down in history as one of the greats. However, there are a select few who have gone a step further, winning the famous race in consecutive years.
Read on, as we look at the story of the four greyhounds who have achieved the mammoth feat of defending their English Greyhound Derby crown.
Mick the Miller (1929 and 1930)
Let’s cast our mind back nearly 100 years to the end of the 1920s, where we find the first instance of a greyhound winning the English Greyhound Derby in two successive years. Mick the Miller is renowned as one of the greatest greyhounds of all time, and at one point posted a record of 19 consecutive race wins — impressive by anyone’s standards.
Mick the Miller’s crowning moments came in the English Greyhound Derby, where he emerged triumphant in both 1929 and 1930 when the event was held at White City in west London. It would be 43 years before any greyhound repeated the trick, proving just what a great achievement it was.
Patricias Hope (1972 and 1973)
It took over 40 years but the dog who finally emulated Mick the Miller was Patricias Hope, who won his first English Greyhound Derby in 1972. In that year, the Adam Jackson-trained greyhound completed the Triple Crown, adding the Scottish Greyhound Derby and the Welsh Greyhound Derby to his CV. That achievement earned him the title of 1972 Greyhound of the Year.
But Patricias Hope wasn’t done there. Despite changing trainer to Johnny O’Connor, he reigned supreme once again at White City to secure a memorable English Greyhound Derby double.
Rapid Ranger (2000 and 2001)
It’s fair to say that Rapid Ranger certainly lived up to his name. With the English Greyhound Derby having been moved to Wimbledon in 1985, Rapid Ranger became the first dog to win the race back-to-back at the new venue. The first of these came in the year 2000, with Rapid Ranger kicking off the millennium in style for trainer Charlie Lister.
12 months later, he had done it again, proving his dominance with another sensational performance and becoming the third dog to win two successive Derbies. Indeed, Rapid Ranger also had a crack in 2002, but three on the trot was clearly a little too much to ask, as Allen Gift ruled the roost.
Westmead Hawk (2005 and 2006)
The most recent example of a dog winning back-to-back English Greyhound Derbies is Westmead Hawk’s dual successes in 2005 and 2006. Trained by the impressive Nick Savva, who won the prestigious event three consecutive times, Westmead Hawk was a force to be reckoned with.
No greyhound has emulated these four since the race left Wimbledon, flitting between Towcester and Nottingham. All eyes will be on Thorn Falcon next year, who won the 2021 edition of the race, to see if he can add his name to the list.
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